The Taipei Lantern Festival-Public Art of Taipei has been organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government in harmony with the Taipei Lantern Festival, hosted by Department of Civil Affairs, Taipei City Government, since 2008. The event consists principally of displays of giant theme lanterns and projection performances in specific sites around the city.

In line with the idea of aesthetic lifestyles for Taipei citizens, this year’s edition was developed under the theme of ‘light up the city’ — from right within the community — to revive the festival’s cultural connotations and its social function as they were back in ancient times.

The organizers hoped that by introducing art into public areas, the festival would help to fulfill lifestyle aesthetics and cultivate an identity with local culture. At the same time it was hoped that the attachment between people, space and tradition would be strengthened by allowing visitors to participate in a rich assortment of activities.

Treasure Hill Artist Village and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the curators for the festival, presented a wide variety of events at Treasure Hill Artist Village; the Guling Street and Nanhai Road area; the blocks between Yongkang Street, Chingtian Street and Longchuan Street; MOCA; the Zhongshan N. Road section; the linear park near Zhongshan MRT Station; Red House in Ximending; and Zhishan Cultural and Ecological Garden.

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"Publish Department": "The Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs"
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"Source": "http://english.culture.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=6BFE4837CD881681&s=2CAA32CE0FDCDB18",
"title": "An Introduction to the Chinese Character Festival",
"Content": "Of the three ancient writing systems of the world (the other two are Sumerian archaic cuneiform script and Egyptian hieroglyphs), traditional Chinese characters are the only semanto-phonetic script that is still used today. Thus traditional Chinese characters are a valuable asset and cultural heritage that must be well preserved. The Chinese Character Festival was first launched in order to raise public awareness of traditional Chinese characters and stir up general interest in the ancient writing system. Writing systems are keys to understanding one’s origin, and they function as a kind of culture carrier as well. Thus the history of traditional Chinese characters and their cultural meaning should be nurtured instead of ignored by the world. The beauty of the system and its phonetic elements are important cultural heritages and demand our attention now.

The Chinese Character Festival organized by Taipei City's Department of Cultural Affairs is held annually at the beginning of each year. Some of the programs in this yearly event include “Chinese Characters and Life Exhibition,” “Chinese Character Quiz,” “Worship of Cangjie, the Inventor of Chinese Characters,” a mass art event to practice calligraphy on New Year’s Day, an exhibition of Chinese character-related contemporary art, and a fashion design show. These events are all staged to allow local people to better understand the uniqueness and beauty of traditional Chinese characters. With the combination of these interesting events and the unique landscape of Taipei City, the citizens of Taipei can better appreciate the beauty of the ancient language.

First launched in 1997, the Taipei Culture Award has been given to individuals and groups who have made significant contribution to shaping the image of Taipei City in the areas of literature, art, dance, and historic relics.This year the focus was on honoring those individuals and groups that have successfully integrated aesthetics into daily live. The recipients were deemed to serve as seeds to grow Taipei’s urban aesthetics.Each year, a maximum of three winners of the award will be chosen. They will each receive their award certificates and a cash prize of NT$500,000 (US$16,666) from Taipei City Mayor.

Year Recipients and Awards --------------------------------------------------------------------------------20141.Howard Chen2.Chew’s Culture FoundationThe recipients were recognized for their long-term efforts to introduce the richness of local culture to the public and enhance people’s participation in arts-focused activities

20131.Taiwan Designers' Web2.The Paper Windmill Cultural Foundation3.Gourmet Lucille HanThe recipients were recognized for their establishment of a platform or mechanism to promote cultural creativity and to shape Taipei’s image.

20121.Urban planning activist John Liu 2.Film director Doze Niu The recipients were recognized for their dedication to the promotion of the city’s culture through innovative measures.

2010 1.Professor Xin Yi-yun2.Pianist Anna Azusa FujitaThe recipients were recognized for their dedication in promoting aesthetics in life.

20091.Chiang Hsun2.I-Tong ParkThe two recipients were recognized for their dedication in promoting aesthetics in life

20081.Wild Bird Society of Taipei2.Hsieh Ying-chun3.U TheatreThe three recipients were recognized for their dedication to promoting and applying environmental-awareness and green culture in the cultural and arts sphere of Taipei.

20071.Performance Workshop2.Huang Ying-hsiungThe two recipients were awarded for their long-term dedication to culture and education, for helping culture take root in life and cultivating young cultural contributors in Taipei City.

20061.Huge Lee2.Li Shu-yun3. Wu Hsing-kuo4.Hsu ChiThe four recipients were honored for their long-term efforts to giving traditional arts a new look and vitality, and for their contributions to enriching the aesthetic lives of Taipei's residents.

20051.Kimbo Hu2.Hsu Wang3.Peace Time Foundation of TaiwanThe three recipients were recognized for promoting the values of reconciliation, harmony, and peace in Taipei City.

20041.Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines2.Chuang Yung-ming3.Sun Ta-chuan4.Chen Kuo-tzu5.Huang Yung-sungThe five recipients were awarded for their contributions to the preservation of the history of Taipei City and for promoting harmony and respect among immigrant groups.

20031.Ke Le Kuo Theatre Troupe2.Black Hand Nakasi Workers' Band3.Ho Ching-tai4.The Flying Fish and Cloud Panther Music CollectiveThe four recipients were honored for their long-term efforts toward the cultural development of less privileged groups, and their contribution to the art and cultural life of Taipei City.

20011.Richard Arnold / educational and international exchangeArnold was awarded for his contribution to making Taipei more cosmopolitan in the cultural sector.2.Barry Lam / corporate patronageLam contributed financial support towards making Taipei's cultural sphere more cosmopolitan.

20001.Tsai Jui-yueh / dance education2.Wu Mei-hui / poetry education3.Hu Pao-lin / architecture and design education4.Chen Chin-tsan / cultural history of Neihu communityThe four recipients were awarded for their long-term dedication to cultural activities related to the improvement of the urban living environment.

19991.Chiu Ru-hwa / Cultural preservationChiu was recognized for dedication to the maintenance of historical buildings, adhering to international standards in local cultural preservation.2.Chen Kuan-hua / Cultural preservationChen was honored for dedicated to the preservation of musical culture heritage, mainly of traditional folk music and local opera.

The Taipei Literature Award was established in 1998 to promote great literary works, find creative talents and forge a bond among the many communities in Taipei City. As literature plays a big role in portraying passion, wrath, joy and sorrow in different levels of a society, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs hopes literature can occupy a greater role in the lives of every citizen with the hosting of this annual literary event.

The Taipei Literature Award has gained in popularity over the past few years, and has received

more and more competitive submissions each year.

To better promote reading habits among citizens, the department plans to hold a series of events such as speeches, idea exchanges among readers and writers, and film festivals.

In so doing, Taipei government hopes to better promote literature as a tool to enrich the life of every citizen while at the same time recording history and lifestyle of Taipei.

Since its inception in 1998, Taipei Film Festival has become one of the most important dates in Taipei culture calendar and has earned a deserved reputation and a place on the international circuit. With screenings of more than 160 films from over 40 countries, approximately 100,000 attendants each year, its majority is made up of a decidedly young audience. Chaired by actress, film producer Lee Lieh, the festival screens works from all corners of the globe, and persistently attracts the finest works from respected independent filmmakers. Therefore, the Festival attracts not only moviegoers but also film professionals that seek to explore the potentials of Taiwanese cinema. Last year, more than 20 films shown in the festival were sold to local distributors and had theatrical releases in Taiwan.

The festival consists of the following sections:International New Talent Competition:Featuring the first or second innovative work of new and talented filmmakers from around the globe. Taipei Film Festival is the only festival in Taiwan that boasts of a film competition especially for international new talent directors.

Taipei Film Awards Competition:Taipei Film Awards is a competition for Taiwanese films, making this Festival the best way to see works from Taiwan. Going into its sixteenth year, the Taipei Film Awards continues to champion Taiwanese cinema and the talent that it launches into the international spotlight. Films screened at the competition represent successful and populist trends in contemporary Taiwanese cinema: Examples include 2008's runaway hit Cape No. 7 (with a record-breaking box office take of NT$500 million), the popular and moving No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti in 2009. What is worth mentioning is that feature films are not the only strength of Taiwanese cinema. Over the past 4 years, the grand prize of NT$1 million were given to documentary films, including 2010's documentary” Let the Wind Carry Me”, 2011’s “Taivalu”, “A Gift for Father's Day - The Tragedy of HsiaolinVillage Part 1”, 2012’s ”Hometown Boy” and the latest winner,” A Rolling Stone” in 2013.

City in Focus/ Panorama:A special non-competition section that focuses on one or two cities every year and introduces their films and culture to the audience in Taiwan. There are more exciting sections such as Filmmaker in Focus, Midnight, Music and introduction of boundary-breaking films. In 2014, we are celebrating our 16th edition from June 27 to July 19. The 16th Taipei Film Festival will honor the city of Warsaw as its featured series which showcases both established classics and modern masterpieces in Polish cinema. The festival will also highlight urban stories and notable filmmakers from around the world, allowing audiences to explore the issues of cultural diversity via direct access to international cinema.

The Taipei Film Festival has a rich history and has had several names over the years.The predecessor of the Taipei Film Festival was the China Times Express Film Awards, which was established in 1988. In 1994, it was renamed the Taipei Film Awards and divided into commercial and non-commercial film awards.

Many talented filmmakers entered the public view through the competition. In 1998, Taipei City Government became the organizer and host of the Taipei Film Awards and the international film screening, and since then it has expanded the film festival into an international event.In 2002, under the direction of the Department of Cultural Affairs, the City Vision category was added to the festival.

Each year a foreign city has been chosen for the theme and the Taiwanese audience is introduced to the films, history, and culture of that city through screenings, exhibitions, forums, and a variety of other events, the Taiwanese audience is introduced to the movies, history, and culture of a foreign city that is picked as the theme city of the year. Since 2005, the International Youth Director Competition has featured in the Taipei Film Festival with three major concepts: the city, Chinese-language artists, and new talent.

The three concepts have not only become essential to the festival, but have also provided a great opportunity for international and Taiwanese filmmakers to improve and learn from each other. In 2015, the International Youth Director Competition was renamed the International New Talent Competition.Since late 2007, the Taipei Film Festival has been affiliated with the Taipei Culture Foundation as a permanent film exhibition program, aiming to make Taipei a film-production-friendly city through sustainable development.

Meanwhile, the festival also cooperates with the Taipei Film Commission, which is also run by the Taipei Culture Foundation, to improve information interchanges between the film industry and the city promotion industry. To develop and cultivate the Taiwanese movies in respect to the global vision, the Taipei Film Festival holds festival events, invites important international city film committee members, hosts film city forums, and enhances the interchange of promotion on film and the city, and related industry experiences as well.

Taipei Film Festival competitions are as follows:International New Talent Competition (formerly the International YouthDirector Competition)The International New Talent Competition is the only international narrative feature film competition in Taiwan that provides opportunities for international and Taiwanese filmmakers to improve and learn from each other.

Featuring the first or second narrative features of new directors from around the globe, the competition amazes audiences with magnificent story-telling and creativity.Taipei Film AwardsThe Taipei Film Awards is the only film competition in Taiwan for professional Taiwanese filmmakers. The Grand Prize is NT$ 1,000,000.

Every year, international film selectors and critics are invited to serve on the panel to promote Taiwanese films that will be seen worldwide. Yearly categories include Filmmaker in Focus and Special Screening and bring the audience a variety of cinematic experiences.

Taipei Arts Festival is one of the city government’s most important cultural-related policies. The festival is co-organized by Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Taipei Culture Foundation to encourage young artists to exercise their creativity and talents.

It also serves as a platform for sharing resources and enhancing collaboration among artists and artistic groups.First launched in 1999, the annual festival has regularly provided unique experience to citizens with a variety of artistic performances and exhibitions, bringing them great memories.

In 2008, Taipei Arts Festival had a brand new start, revamping itself under the themes of creativity and variety. Under the new slogan “Bravo Only,” the festival has introduced local and international shows to Taipei, highlighting the festival’s modernity and creativity.

Now the Taipei Arts Festival is not only a highly-anticipated annual art fest but also an important platform to cultivate new talents and bring new energy to local cultural creative industry.

It is a well-known brand both in Taiwan and in the global stage where arts community is eager to participate year after year.

The annual event also boosted Taipei’s tourism business and put the city under international spotlight.

Art can change the way people see the world. Through the intermediary of art, we are able to create new sensory experiences in our daily lives, from which both creators and audiences can derive great energy.

Each year, the Taipei Arts Festival procures brilliant works from Taiwan and around the world to create dialogues with the audience in the theater space, and instill the power of creativity into the capital city of Taipei, energizing its creative atmosphere.

The 18th Taipei Arts Festival is based on the concept “ Art Can Change Lives!” and it brings together artists from France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan to present 11 brilliant works. The wide variety of themes include life, history, ethnic groups, gender, and many other topics, while forms of presentation include theater, music, dance, cirque nouveau, and cross talk, all of which fully showcase the creativity and vitality of the performing arts.

This year’s festival will for the first time also embody diversity by featuring performances by high school students and Hakka people. In addition to the theater performances, there will be a documentary version of the play Hamlet, professional theater workshops, lectures, and more, bringing different facets of the arts into people’s lives.

2016 Taipei Arts Festival Artistic Director Yi-Wei Keng said,“ The Taipei Arts Festival is a platform. I hope on that platform performing troupes will be able to develop and gain valuable experience through the yearly gathering.” He further noted that the programs are expected to become “ a window that allows the audience to feel and see a different world and to become more responsive by knowing that experiencing art can change our lives.”

In recent years, the festival has been taking steps to build bridges with similar events and organizations in other countries, as well as introducing popular works in international art circles to Taiwanese audiences through the co-produced international festivals. For instance, the play “ God Bless Baseball”—jointly produced by Taipei Arts Festival, Festival/Tokyo, and Asian Culture Complex-Asian Arts Theatre—was the opening program for South Korea’s Asian Culture Complex-Asian Arts Theatre in September 2015. After it hit the stage at the Festival/Tokyo in November 2015, the show toured in North America and had its Taipei homecoming in September 2016.

Outstanding Taiwanese and international artists have been invited to the event, which also gives them the opportunity to bring their works into the international performance market, while increasing the visibility of Taipei and Taiwanese troupes.

The 2016 TAF will run for six weeks, from Sept. 9 to Oct. 16, at several venues, including Taipei Cultural Center City Stage, Wellspring Theater, Zhongshan Hall, and the Daan Forest Park outdoor Music Hall. Tickets can be purchased at TAF booths at Zhongshan Hall, Taipei Water Park, and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, or online at www.artsticket.com.tw.

For more information, please visit the official TAF website at www.taipeifestival.org.tw.

Taipei Fringe Festival is known for its openness and freedom that embraces all kinds of performances while ignoring all serious screening criteria.The annual festival encourages freedom and new expressions of creativity and has served as a platform for alternative, non-mainstream and experimental performances.It helps to relocate art into everyday venues, including parks and coffee shops, so that it can serve as inspiration to more people instead of those selected few.Taipei Fringe Festival has been improving itself year after year both in quantity and quality. It has become a platform for budding artists. Many theater troupes that were invited to the festival would later nominated for awards and given opportunities to perform in other occasions.It has become a cradle for young talents and experimental performances.Taipei Fringe Festival will continue to find new venues around the city that could inspire both performers and spectators. It will also do its best to make art more accessible to everyday life and to ordinary people.By doing so, performing groups is bound to be more creativity and the festival itself will be more appealing year after year.

For details, log onto the official event website at http://www.taipeifringe.org/index.aspx(in Chinese version). or call 2528-9580 Ext: 191~199 or our residential service number at 1999 Ext 3607.

Digital Art Festival Taipei was inaugurated by Taipei City Government in 2006, with its Department of Cultural Affairs responsible for the festival’s execution. The Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei has been the main venue for exhibitions for the first four years of the festival, from Aura Spurt, the debut festival, to Openplay (the second), Trans (the third), and the Funky Light (the forth). The task for organizing the festival was handed over to Digital Art Center Taipei (DAC) when this center was inaugurated in 2009.

Artists convey their concerns for humanity and their observations of society by wielding the charm of digital technology. Through all types of media, artists delivered their messages into to the audience, who experience the appeal of digital art by partaking in various activities and performances during the annual event.The latest edition of the festival, the 9th Digital Art Festival Taipei in 2014, featured a total of 141 art pieces presented by 233 local and international artists at a 800 ping or 24,000 square meter venue.

The organizer of the event regularly hosts the annual festival at different venues around the city, mostly at historic buildings, including the Red House Theater at Ximending; Bopiliao Historic Block at Wanhua; and Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, among others.This is done to take advantage of the sharp contrast between the modernity of digital art and traditional architecture with the ultimate purpose to offer a unique aesthetic experience for all citizens.

The Taipei Children’s Arts Festival was first launched in 2000. Since then, the annual festival that regularly held on summer vacation has been widely popular among families and children in Taipei.

Each year, the festival features an average of 50 free-entry theatrical works, arts exhibitions and workshops with an average of 200,000 participants annually.

Its popularity has made the festival a must-visit for families with children at greater Taipei area.

To further promote long-term development of performing arts in Taipei, the festival has been organized by the Taipei Culture Foundation since 2007.

Each year, the festival has introduced local and international high quality performances for the benefit of Taipei children.

The high quality exhibitions and performances have proven extremely popular among locals. Taipei Children's Art Festival passports that allow its holders access to all festival shows sell like a hot cake each year. All the tickets are also highly popular. The workshops have attracted visitors from outside Taipei and even from southern Taiwan.

Its long time popularity has shown that Taipei Children’s Arts Festival is here to stay and a strong force that has successfully integrated aesthetics into daily live.

Taipei Children’s Arts Festival Stories from the past nourish the world of today. Today's actions determine what future generations can have and what they will have to face. While the world may be imperfect, at the same time it is full of poetic beauty and fun.

The Taipei Children's Arts Festival is a widely anticipated event that is held every summer in the city. Families queue up for tickets, eager to enter the imaginative world created by both Taiwanese and foreign art troupes. Each year, the festival chooses a different theme for the audience to take as a starting point for adventure. By enjoying the wide selection of programs, participants will be able to experience the close relationship between art and life and choose the most creative philosophy for living.

This year, one of the international troupes is Australia’s Terrapin Puppet Theatre, who use an unique interactive mode to create a story and bring the various parts of a city on stage with the help of the audience. Their work “I Think I Can” is an interactive installation that places miniature model railway layouts in public spaces. The puppet operators and story editors then collect the story ideas from participating audience members and unfold the urban adventure in the miniature theater.

“For this year’s festival we’re hoping for more audience involvement,” said TCAF Executive Director Liu Li-ting. Some artists will bring behind-the-scenes creative processes onto the stage, while others will offer audiences the opportunity to actively explore the performance. It is expected that these different ways of telling stories will help audiences experience the charm of performance art by participating with both their bodies and minds.

International programs this year include “Love That Dog”, an adaptation from prize-winning teen fiction, which was turned into a vivid reality poem. Presented by the Dutch Theater Groep Kwatta, the show tells the story of a boy falling in love with poetry and using it to explore his untold feelings. This down-to-earth and heart-warming story is full of surprises, as small items such as dolls and real-time images help to turn the text into objects.

In Irish artist Paul Curley’s enticing work “Bake!”, an urgent attempt to bake a birthday cake for a prince causes dramatic disarray. Curley will invite the audience to create fun out of chaos as they complete the mission together.The homegrown show “One And Only”, produced jointly by the Tainaner Ensemble and TCAF, is another such example. The performance features dozens of handmade wooden puppets, each of which represents a child with its own unique personality. Liao Jo-han, the show’s director, explained: “The rotating axle resembles a lively child, while clapping hands represent mischief... Apart from looking at the wooden technological installations, you can also witness their poetic imagination.”

Other highlights include the wildly imaginative “Buchettino”, co-produced by TCAF and Italy’s Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio, which uses sound effects to guide the audience through a dark fairytale world. Though this is the fifth consecutive year the unconventional show has come to the stage, it still remains one of the most sought-after tickets at TCAF.Official website: http: //eng.taipeicaf.org/

Public arts have always played an indispensable role in shaping the image of Taipei City. Earlier public artworks such as bronze statues of historical figures or mosaic wall paintings in public areas, have not only been ingrained in the memories of local citizens, but have also contributed to the understanding, appreciation and enhancement of public places.

Since the enactment of the Public Art Ordinance in 1998, public art in various forms has entered the public domain in such places as MRT stations, schools, and government organizations. Public art works that have interactive qualities attract attention, and generally remain free from association with certain stereotypes.

In order to encourage public art and promote collaborative efforts that can foster better understanding among Taipei City citizens and encourage them to learn more about the cultural, artistic, and scenic aspects of the capital city, the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government has compiled a brochure that introduces 300 public art works and maps out six strolling routes that feature art works in public venues.

We have compiled a name list including detailed information on talented artists, art education, art reviews, art administration, and applied arts regarding public artworks. More than a dozen essays on public arts have also been included to help establish a public art review system for evaluating planning applications.

We have also established an online public art management system, offering up-to-date information for government agencies to review and receive handy advice on public arts projects. We believe the overall effort to create a public art-friendly environment is essential for enriching the caliber and quantity of public arts contributors.

Shoppers strolling in the bustling Gongguan business district of Taipei will be surprised to find that the original earth-yellow Shuiyuan Market has been transformed into a giant colorful art installation. This piece of magic has been performed by internationally renowned Israeli artist Yaacov Agam in a redecorating project as part of the ‘Taipei Beautiful’ program.

Artistic decoration is always one way to beautify a city. ‘Heart of the Fountainhead’, the newly-erected installation on the exterior of the market, is touted as the world’s largest square polymorph design.

“This colorful and vibrant artwork is a testimony to the friendship and collaboration between Taiwanese and Israelis,” said Raphael Gamzou, the head of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei (ISECO). in the inauguration ceremony for the art work on May 9.

Constructed with a budget of NT$60 million, the design employs 177 different colors and utilizes new materials chosen in consideration of the frequent rain and high humidity in Taiwan.

The central piece is composed of a composite aluminum-plastic panel made of a polyethylene core material fixed between two coated aluminum sheets. It’s lighter than conventional materials, fully recyclable, and allows colors to last longer.

The exterior of the installation is coated with ‘Dryvit Demandit’, a non-thermoplastic coating that prevents airborne dirt from attaching to the surface and will minimize the need for maintenance in the future.

As one of Taipei’s oldest markets in the bustling Gongguan area, Shuiyuan Market has long been a center of vitality and business. Yet the original exterior of the building lost its sense of harmony with the streets and surrounding structures after extensive renovation in the neighborhood.

The Taipei City Government (TCG) therefore included the market building as one of the major landmarks in its “New World of Gongguan” urban renewal project and “Taipei Beautiful” renovation campaign. TCG also promised to complete the renovation of pedestrian crossovers and traffic flyovers before the opening of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo in November.

“We live in our cities surrounded by visual aggression. In Taipei, this aggression is accompanied by very visually ugly and repulsive air conditioning units,” said Agam in the inauguration ceremony. Thus he began by wrapping up the earth-yellow building in rainbow colors. These can be appreciated from three angles. Seen from the left side, blue and white stripes simulate the waves of the ocean. From the front, rainbow colors are reflected on the waves, gleaming and spirited in their movement. And from the right, all the colors blend together to symbolize the diverse culture of Taipei.

Agam is an Israeli and an internationally renowned artist who is considered a pioneer in kinetic art. He is also known for his many public art projects in major cities around the world, including ‘Monumental Fountain’ in the La Defense district of Paris, the fountain ‘Fire and Water’ in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, and ‘Villa Regina’ in Miami.

His cooperation with Taiwan dates back to two years ago when he erected colorful columns titled ‘Message of Peace’ at the Main World Games Stadium in Kaohsiung.

To allow locals to become more familiar with Agam’s creative artistic ideas, this major representative figure of contemporary artist delivered a speech May 11 - also his 82nd birthday - at Taiwan National University, giving a glimpse into the world of art as he sees it.

“Visual language is a common language that all humans can understand regardless of our ethnic groups,” said a smiling Agam to start his speech.

To explain this idea, the 82-year-old artist showed a plastic water cup and asked audiences to give it a name. The answer came in Chinese first. Agam continued to request answers in other languages, trying to convey the idea that language can be an obstruction to mutual understanding. “But you all know what it is when you see it,” he continued.

Agam further elaborated on this idea by citing the Noah’s Ark story from the Bible. “I infused the environment with all the colors of the rainbow to remind contemporary people of the Biblical covenant between Noah and mighty God on behalf of all living things”, he noted.

“The ark shape and the colors of the rainbow represent various ethnic groups,” he said. The rainbow is also a symbol of peace, in his opinion, that conveys love and art.

Agam focuses his art on movement, incorporating the dimensions of time and change. In his opinion, everything is in constant change - the light of day, the clouds, and the running river of people in the street.

“My art is a tribute to life and change with people according to their time-space relationships,” noted Agam.

“I’m dedicated to creating unexpected movements and interaction with viewers,” said Agam as he showed several slides of his works. He encouraged viewers to change the original setting. Through this method, his works successfully exhibit four-dimensional features—changing along with time, he noted.

Heart of the Fountainhead is the first super-size polymorph creation in Asia, a work which the Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government expects to serve as an inspiration to local artists, said the official on May 11.

Several viewing positions are recommended to appreciate this brilliant local landmark. One is to climb up to the overpass just before the Shuiyuan Market, where viewers can take a closer look at the rich rainbow of colors reflected on the sparkling waves from the front side.

Strolling on the sidewalk in front of Taipei Municipal Mingchuan Elementary School is another good choice, allowing you to see the changing patterns as you walk by.

Located on Roosevelt Road Section 4, Shuiyuan Market is the center of the Gongguan business district, accommodating various stands selling fruits and household goods on the first floor and fresh vegetables, meats, clothing and accessories on the second floor.

The surrounding neighborhood is abutted by several of Taiwan’s leading higher educational institutes like National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, as well as alternative bookstores such as Tang Shan, Wen Jin Tang, Jing Jing and Fembooks.

In addition there are a number of music spots with a wide variety of experimental styles, including the Riverside Music Café, Kafka Café, Witch House and The Wall Live House, making Gongguan a unique spot with irresistible charms.

The Asian Performing Arts Festival (APAF) is one of joint projects under the framework of Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21). Participating cities such as Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Delhi, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Rangoon, Singapore, and Bangkok take turns to hold this festival every year after it was initiated in Tokyo in October 2001.

This event aims to encourage mutual understanding and cultural exchange among Asian cities. Through a wide variety of stage performances, workshops and exhibitions, it also promotes interaction between performing artists in Asia, thereby searching for new talent and exploring the possibility of international joint production.

The first Asian Performing Arts Festival was held in Tokyo in 2002, followed by Delhi in 2003, Hanoi in 2004, and Taipei in 2006. A number of performing groups from Tokyo, Seoul, Manila, Bangkok, and Delhi came to Taipei to participate in the 2006 Asian Performing Arts Festival.

Manila was the host city of the 2007 Asian Performing Arts Festival – titled The Review of the Joint Projects. The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) sent Taipei Folk Dance Theatre to take part in the festival on November 26, 2007 at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. The dance wowed local audiences and representatives of other cities alike.

The 2008 Asian Performing Arts Festival was held at the Sejong Center in Seoul. The DCA sent the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company and Sun Son Theatre to Seoul. One year later, it was Japan’s turn to host the festival, which took place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space. The DCA chose the Century Contemporary Dance Company to represent Taipei and work with Japanese choreographer Mikuni Yanaihara.

From 2010, performing artists from Asian cities began to carry out a wide range of joint projects during the Asian Performing Arts Festival. Numerous artists of member cities were invited to the host city Tokyo in an effort to work on the joint production. The goal of the international joint projects lies in cultural exchange. The DCA sent Theatre Company of Lee Qing-zhao the Private to participate in the 2010 event.

In 2011, artists from Taipei and Tokyo performed together at the Treasure Hill Artist Village in Taipei. Meanwhile, Junko Emoto, director of the Tokyo-based Kegawazoku Theater, also worked with Chu Van Luong, director of the Hanoi-based Thang Long Water Puppet Theater.

One year later, Japanese visual director Keisuke Takahashi and dancer Mikuni Yanaihara came to Taipei in a bid to collaborate with the Sun Son Theatre. In 2013, the DCA selected the Sun Son Theatre and Century Contemporary Dance Company to represent Taipei to take part in the festival in Tokyo.

Organized by the DCA and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Citizens and Cultural Affairs, the 2014 Asian Performing Arts Festival took place in the two cities. Japanese young director Sasaki Toru flied to Taipei to cooperate with Chen Wei-ning, director of the Century Contemporary Dance Company. Their show, titled Illusion, debuted in Taipei in August 2014, receiving great acclaim from both audiences and critics. Three months later, it also wowed the audience in Tokyo.

Creators are said to be optimistic because they have a dream.Creators are said to be brave because they have faith.Creators are said to be dedicated because they have determination.Creators are said to be lucky because they derive their self-worth.Many twists and turns are transcribed into a series of touching stories.

Since 2012, the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) has held the Taipei Original Festival at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. This year’s event titled “Creators and Stories” aims to use the creative process of participating artists as written texts with a narrative technique of storylines to convey their dreams and feelings of mental touching. Dedicated to their ideas and faith, these creative workers always persist with their creation despite numerous setbacks, thereby blazing a creative path to their works. Their stories reflect ordinary people’s life. The theme pavilion will unveil each chapter of these stories, inviting visitors to listen to the creators’ life story about their creative journeys.

From December 4 through December 20, the festival features a wide variety of exhibitions and performances, including the theme pavilion, outdoor activities, creative markets, musical performances, and lectures. It puts together the original power of all creators and tells their touching stories.

The DCA invites you to come with us and create our life story!

Planning and execution: The department of creative development for Taipei Culture Foundation

After three years of preparation, Taipei City is going to host the World Design Capital 2016 (WDC 2016) next year. Over the past three years, the city government has got into communities and hit the world stage through design, thereby creating more design and social interaction. The transformation of city landscape and street corners has made every corner of Taipei filled with unexpected surprises. Holding international design exhibitions can make the beauty of Taipei known to the world and attract more foreign tourists to visit the capital city of Taiwan.

Living in Taipei, you may experience the value of design in everyday life and then feel this city’s transformation ranging from houses to traditional markets, communities, campuses, streets, and every corner of the capital city. The change in the types of creativity ranges from landscape gardening to the introduction of design thinking, improved sequence of service, and innovation of public infrastructure. The transformation in the types of events includes classes, lectures, experiential activities, design workshops, forums, exhibitions, and public art installations.

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"Publish Department": "The Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs"
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"Source": "http://english.culture.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=6BFE4837CD881681&s=B7028046D40E02C6",
"title": "Life full of ingenuity, design integrated into citizens’ life",
"Content": "Regarding the promotion of World Design Capital Taipei 2016 (WDC Taipei 2016), our core spirit lies in “social design.” We use design thinking to solve social problems that a city faces, and create a livable city through people-oriented design. Social design is one of the most important parts of Taipei development. Under limited resources, we make good use of design and creativity. With public interest as a prerequisite, we care about social issues, incorporate design into policies, and use design to solve social or local problems. If design equals the process of solving problems and creating infinite possibilities under limited resources, we will hope to let design become truly embedded in citizens' life. The city's residents can rediscover design playing a role in their everyday life in the real or virtual communities. As a result, design interacts with our society, thereby making our society better thanks to design.

Compared with other major cities concentrating on large construction projects, Taipei continues changing with design and is constantly carrying out innovative experiments. This symbolizes Taipei City's core appeal in hosting the WDC 2016: “Adaptive City – Design in Motion.” Design not only means visible hardware transformation, but also uses different fields of expertise to solve common problems by redesigning the collaborative system and relationship among people. Taipei will ultimately create more of its own stories. Through the WDC Taipei 2016 project, we need to reconsider the relationship between Taipei and the world. Taipei is no longer a manufacturing plant in the world, but a livable city with humanistic spirit. People around the world will be enchanted by Taipei, where restarts the elegance of humanistic spirit from Asia and allows its residents to participate in design and bring social change.

With the WDC Taipei 2016 approaching, we will hold a series of international signature events next year, including the New Year's Eve of Design, Design Gala, International Design House Exhibition, International Design Policy Conference, International Design Week Forum, Network of Cities Meeting, and Convocation Ceremony. Each event blends international and local features, and should not be missed!

First, the WDC Taipei 2016 will kick off with the “WDC New Year’s Eve of Design” in January, which combines New Year’s Day Concert 2016, Taipei and other design-related events. The WDC New Year’s Eve of Design will bring new experiences to the city’s residents and allow them to enjoy a brand new “New Year’s Life Style in Taipei.” Then, the “WDC International Design Gala” – an international awards event combining with Taiwan’s design features – will take place in March, giving out local major design awards and Icsid’s World Design Impact Prize. Highlights of the WDC Taipei 2016 will come in October with five major events. The first one is the International Design Policy Conference, which invites those promoting design policies of global cities to discuss a series of issues including design policies plus design and urban governance. Second, the previous World Design Capitals will be invited to participate in the “WDC International Design House Exhibition” in an effort to present the story and experience of their development, and share new ideas of innovation and experiments. Third, Taipei will invite the organizers of major design weeks worldwide to come together in the “WDC International Design Week Forum” to discuss how to promote design thinking, urban development and economic models through the Designer Week activities. Fourth, the “WDC Network of Cities Meeting” will provide a platform for urban development policymakers to exchange views. Mayors or their representatives from cities worldwide will be invited to explore the issues they face in urban development, how they use design-based methods to resolve such issues, and their visions for the future development of their cities. Finally, after sharing its experiences, Taipei City’s “WDC Convocation Ceremony” will emphasize the significance of continuing the WDC legacy as the baton passes from the current World Design Capital to the next. The ceremony will wrap it up for the WDC Taipei 2016.

Apart from the above mentioned international signature events, local events are held each month including “Taiwan Design Expo,” “Taipei: Design Action,” “Creative EXPO Taiwan,” and “Taipei Culture Passport.” Throughout 2016, a succession of large and small design activities will be happening all over the capital city. Taipei hopes to plant design like a seed in its residents’ heart. By hosting the WDC Taipei 2016, we need to rethink the relationship between Taipei and the world. Taipei is no longer a manufacturing plant in the world, but a livable city with humanistic spirit. People around the world will be enchanted by Taipei, where restarts the elegance of humanistic spirit from Asia. Taipei is poised to make urban transformation with design and host the World Design Capital 2016.

The World Design Capital (WDC) is a global event initiated by International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid). The WDC is designated by Icsid every two years. Past cities to hold the WDC title include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010, Helsinki (Finland) in 2012, Cape Town (South Africa) 2014, and Taipei (Taiwan) in 2016.

The jury selected these cities as the World Design Capital not only because these cities had actively created suitable conditions for the development of the design sector, but also because they had understood how to use design thinking to come up with wonderful solutions to solve major issues that a city face. Each World Design Capital knew how to use innovative and creative methods to develop its own vision and model.